Boris Johnson: We must work ‘together’ to avoid second full lockdown
Boris Johnson has warned that the country must follow the new coronavirus restrictions “together” if the country is to get through the winter without a second full lockdown.
In a televised address to the nation this evening, the Prime Minister said that “now is the time for us all to summon the discipline, and the resolve, and the spirit of togetherness that will carry us through”.
His speech came after he unveiled the new restrictions, which include a return to the working from home advice and a 10pm curfew on hospitality businesses, in a statement to Parliament earlier today.
The measures could be in place for up to six months, he warned.
In his speech, Johnson said that although the government was working “night and day” to protect the country, responsibility also lay with people to obey the rules.
“The single greatest weapon we bring to this fight is the common sense of the people themselves – the joint resolve of this country to work together to suppress Covid now”, he said.
Repeating his words from the House of Commons earlier, he said that a “stitch in time saves nine” but reserved the right to implement more restrictions if necessary.
“But if people don’t follow the rules we have set out, then we must reserve the right to go further.
“We must take action now because a stitch in time saves nine; and this way we can keep people in work, we can keep our shops and our schools open, and we can keep our country moving forward while we work together to suppress the virus”, he said.
“That is our strategy, and if we can follow this package together, then I know we can succeed because in so many ways we are better prepared than before.”
Johnson’s speech came as a snap survey by pollster YouGov showed that 78 per cent of Brits supported the new restrictions.
However, 45 per cent said that they did not think they went far enough.
Despite the grim message, Johnson insisted that scientists were “unanimous” that the situation would be much improved by the spring.
By then, he said, the country would have the combined advantages of the hope of a vaccine and a mass testing programme.
“That’s the hope; that’s the dream. It’s hard, but it’s attainable, and we are working as hard as we can to get there.
“But until we do, we must rely on our willingness to look out for each other, to protect each other. Never in our history has our collective destiny and our collective health depended so completely on our individual behaviour”, he added.
In addition to the curfew and working from home measures, other new rules mean a limit of 15 people are allowed to attend weddings, while all retail and hospitality workers will be forced to wear masks at all times.
Rules to make businesses comply with Covid secure guidelines will be written into law, with higher fines for non-compliance.
Plans to allow crowds at sports stadiums and other similar events next month have also been scrapped.